Small Works series
This small work depicts an Atlantic Cod resting on a textured, crumpled piece of brown wrapping paper. The fish is rendered in greens, yellows, grays, and browns, set against a painterly blue background that suggests the sea.
Created with gouache and watercolor on paper, the painting is a study of form, color, and surface. Energetic brushwork and a direct, contemporary approach bring attention to the physical presence of the fish and to the contrast between its natural markings, the crumpled paper, and the surrounding field of blue.
Part of an ongoing exploration of Maine fish, this work considers the subject both as a specimen from the natural world and as part of the visual culture of Maine’s working waterfront. The Atlantic Cod becomes at once a familiar local presence, an object of observation, and a still life.